Altidore's movement and stamina have improved immensely since the summer matches. I'd like to see him like Eddie Johnson get a run out on the wing.
Could be morphing into it...lots of talk about Shea, who hasn't played for us in awhile. We know he wasn't in Russia. Perhaps it's the English as a second syntax past pluperfect phrasing gone awry.
Geez, guys, not a rivalry thread or forum. Don't make me chase you around with a turkey baster, now...
I finally found some time to watch the match a second time via ESPN3. Some thoughts: Overall Play: On second viewing the US started out shaky, but settled down after the Williams/Altidore gaffe. They went toe-to-toe with Russia in Russia and carried play in stretches. After watching Portugal struggle to do the same, the US should be proud of how it played overall. Russia is a good team with a lot of talent, and at times the US looked the better team*. Johnson: Fabian had some good moves going forward, but some poor moments in defense. He made some flippant passes that ended up putting his own team in tough spots. He seems to be a naturally aggressive player, and as a coach I would look to get him attacking early in games just to get him in the right mindset. His defense improved as the game went on, and I do not think it was coincidence he was better defensively the more he got into the attack. Cameron: He was very good defensively, but also made some dumb passes that led to opportunities for Russia. Needs to tighten up his distribution. Williams: His first poor game as a 6 under Klinsmann. Not just because of the gaffe, but because he was often out of position to make a play and cover his defenders. Part of that was because Jones and Bradley were pushed so far forward he had a lot of ground to cover, but the bigger part was slow recovery runs and poor reading of second balls. Goodson: He plays a good offside trap, and that seems to be his defensive plan A, B, and C. As we saw on the penalty, if a player beats the trap, he lacks the strength or quickness to recover. Jones: I was harsh on him in the immediate post game. I take back some of it. He played some nice long balls (the ball that Gatt looked to flick over, and another great pass that Altidore shot over the bar stood out). What frustrates me watching Jones is the simple balls he screws up on. His first touch can let him down, he rushes a simple short pass, or he gets dispossessed trying to force things. When he has a little space and time, he can be lethal. He struggles in tight spaces. Gatt: I liked his play more on second viewing. His runs off the ball are good. He does a good job of setting up combinations. Two that stood out were his drop and turn to Bradley on the side line and a nice give and go with Jozy at the top of the box. He matched up against two good Russia full backs and gave them problems. He and Chandler did a good job defensively on the right. One to keep an eye on. Altidore: As others have mentioned, his good hold up play stood out on second viewing. He seemed to be out of gas the couple times he had a decent chance. With some more support up front he has more energy to put away chances. Bradley: Man of the match. I replayed his strike a few times, just because it was technically so brilliant. Controlled tempo at key times and played one of his more polished matches. He and Dzagoev were the most influential players on the field. Edu: It has become fashionable to criticize him, but he was good against Russia. I will be surprised if he does not work his way into Stoke's regular rotation before the season is done. *Commentary: I found Twellman's and Darke's commentary to be harsh towards the US. I found myself disagreeing with Twellman's analysis as often as not, particularly in his criticism of some US players.
Unfortunately, I'm less optimistic. I think it's telling that his strong performance in Russia didn't even translate into a spot in Stoke's 18.
I wouldn't excuse him because Jones and Bradley pushed so far forward. When you dedicate a midfielder to shielding the back line, you are sacrificing offense for defense, and it is reasonable for the other two central midfielders to slight defensive responsibilities. Plus, the USMNT was always chasing the game, so Jones and Bradley were always pressing the forward action. Williams is a professional, and as such, understood his need to play more conservatively. Williams had a poor match, possibly because he was rattled by the first Russia goal. Professionals, in any profession, need to be able to overcome misfortune.